Magical Moments, Obsessions, and Humiliations

Monday, March 4, 2013

friday i hosted my first formal dinner party. i have cooked for friends and family countless times, but it has always been casual and typically impromptu. friday, in an effort to one-up my competitive bff mal, i hosted her and our friend alt and their lovers for dinner. confession- this is the first time in my life i set the table for anyone other than my immediately family. typically, i go potluck when cooking for large groups of people. mainly because we have a small table and only own four chairs. sitting on the couch is basically mandatory. this time, however, i went all out. unbeknownst to my parents, i have their folding chairs and never plan on returning them. sorry, mom.

the only thing more difficult than picking a menu was narrowing down which serving pieces to use. fortunately for me, i am the proud owner of a plethora of beautiful platters, bowls, and no less than five cheese boards.

after consulting just about everyone i know, and forcing esteban to answer questions honestly about my cooking skills, we settled on a menu:

in case the food was subpar, my defensive strategy was to fill cozytown with as many bottles of wine that i could carry home. nothing like waking up to a warning from your bank that your alcohol spending is excessive this month. (this really happened)

the pesto chicken was a suggestion from my cyber bff, jordan. she is a pretty fancy person and i knew i could trust her to recommend something delicious, simple to prepare and impressive-looking.

i realize my photography skills are subpar, and i failed to take pictures of any of the food. youre just going to have to trust me that everything looked and tasted delicious. i always get nervous cooking for other people. esteban is pretty much the easiest person to cook for. he hates most vegetables, but legitimately enjoys everything i cook for him. i have never met a less discerning diner. it was nice to see other people eat my food and not hate it. am i the next kristin kish? probably not. but i do not send people home with food poisoning. and that is something i am very proud of.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

much to estebans chagrin, i tend to see life in black and white. i either love someone or i hate someone. i have a favorite everything. and im typically nonnegotiable in the things i hate. that being said, there is also a middle speed. complete indifference. some would argue that this is even worse than hate.

the large list of things i am indifferent towards includes: the olympics, new kids on the block, tortilla chips, the color blue, and montana. if they were to cease existing, i would not bat an eyelash or even notice. i have zero opinions on these topics. i do not even know if there will ever does everyone have a list of things like this? i just dont care. it must be normal...

the list of things i hate is not that large, but it is ironclad:

radicchio, green beans, peas.

people who think they are superior without leading a superior life.

root beer.

the color mustard.

other peoples ear wax. if i can see it in your ear, i can literally never speak to you again.

Monday, February 18, 2013

my favorite part about commuting and traveling is reading books. lots and lots of books. twenty-thirteen has been very good to me thus far. i have read some amazing books. i judge books based on whether they force me to laugh or cry while riding the subway.

similarly to how i feel about reality tv stars, the characters in books often become my friends and i begin to speak about them as if i have known them for years. therefore, it is typically helpful if esteban and everyone else in my life is reading the same books as me. random fact- i once tried to start a book club but it failed miserably. its so tough to find avid readers in their mid twenties who are looking to engage in synchronized reading. i tried to join my gramma's book club, but they meet on tuesday afternoons. which is unfortunate because i am currently not in a position to retire and live a life of leisure and book clubs. bummer.

Monday, February 11, 2013

as some of you loyal readers know, esteban and i live in marital bliss in a little place i like to call cozytown. aptly named because there is no place in the world that i would rather be at the end of the day. it is where i achieve maximum coziness. its where it is perfectly acceptable to sit on the couch with the heat blasting and the windows wide open, with three blankies on your lap. where its ok to occasionally have dinner picnics in bed and eat chicken wings. where we annually host the COZYBOWL. or well, perhaps we should just rename it the BEYONCE BOWL after this year??

the irony of #cozybowliii is that i actually lack interest in football. as in, i had actually never bothered to even watch the superbowl until i started hosting this party. but, i do love party food. and gambling in those little scoreboxes.

as to be expected, there was an overabundance of food. this year we upped the ante and got the buffalo wings from hooters. am i alone in thinking they are the best wings on the planet? i highly doubt it. one hundred buffalo wings. my definition of heaven.

and in case you looked closely at the above picture, yes, you are correct. those are taco bell condiment packages. and yes there were tacos. courtesy of csr, my sisters boyfriend, and oftentimes my favorite person on the planet. he brought them last year and they were such a hit that we have all been talking about them and hyped them up so much that he essentially had no choice but to bring them again this year. nothing like a little peer pressure to make a party awesome.

this year i let dessert take a backseat to all of the appetizers, dips, wings, tacos and pizza. however, i did make the last minute decision to make cookie dough dip. with mini chocolate chips. and got teddy grahams for dipping. the dip was probably more dunkaroo than cookie dough, but it was delicious nonetheless. and so easy. after all the cooking and cleaning throughout the weekend, i was really just not in the mood to bake. this was the perfect alternative.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

“Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts … good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don’t hurt. They’re not painful. That’s not just with somebody you want to marry, but it’s with the friends that you choose. It’s with the people you surround yourselves with.”- m.obama

Thursday, January 10, 2013

in important news, destinys child is reuniting. i cannot wait. seriously. i love destinys child. a lot. they are super fun. and embody some of my favorite things. wearing coordinating outfits. (see the above picture of esteban and i in front of the white house.) cheerful melody. beyonce. synchronized dance moves. songs with repetition- say my name, survivor, bills, bills, bills.

this morning bhb posted the above music video and it was just too good not to share!

ps. i would like to say that esteban loves me so much that he willingly matches my outfits and indulges whatever theme i deem appropriate. but he doesnt. i tricked him into wearing the red shirt in the above picture. and have to pick out his shirt and THEN change into my shirt if i ever want us to walk out the door matching. sorry im not sorry. we look like a power couple when we match.

on a slow day i am a dramatic person. dawsons creek only fuels this fire. this show made a series out of mole hills. and i loved every minute of it. and dont think i didnt take sides. dawson leary lovers are the worst.

my most amazing moments (in no particular order):

1. joey potter singing in the beauty pagent.

2. audrey driving her car through the leary house.

3. abby morgan dies.

4. andie goes off her meds.

5. jack comes out in english class.

6. pacey gets drunk at prom.

7. jack agreeing to raise jens baby.

8. dawson gets drunk at his surprise sixteenth birthday party. *

9. joeys dad returns. and leaves.

10. joey and pacey forever.

* the reason i love this moment is because dawson made a giant charade of "finding" joey potter. joey had broken up with dawson because she needed to "find herself." dawson then made the obvious joke, "who ever heard of a sixteen year old who needs to find themselves."this is both naive and poignant. arent all sixteen year olds completely confused as to who they are and convinced they know everything all at once?